Obama's preacher sanitizes website

A black Chicago church attended by Democrat presidential frontrunner Barack Obama has removed from the “About Us” page of its website a section outlining a radical belief system for blacks, WND has learned.

Trinity United Church of Christ, which describes itself as “unashamedly black,” drew fire last week after inflammatory sermons by its senior pastor were broadcast on cable TV news.

Obama responded he was shocked to hear the profane anti-American and anti-white rhetoric delivered by his Rev. Jeremiah Wright and strongly objected to it.

While critics say the sermons reflect militantly segregationist views, Obama says they were taken out of context and do not reflect the broader message of his preacher and church.

Until recently, however, Trinity’s website outlined a controversial code of ethics written by blacks for blacks called the “Black Value System.”

It asks members to commit their time, money and talents to the black community, black businesses, black institutions and black political leaders. The program also demands black members disavow “the pursuit of middleclassness.”

The section has since been deleted from the About Us page, which has added videotaped testimonials from church members extolling the virtues of the church, including a white official from the parent United Church of Christ who said she feels welcome at predominantly black Trinity.

“These black ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever blacks are gathered,” the original webpage said.

Here is the entire text of the section before it was redacted:

“Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God

2. Commitment to the Black Community

3. Commitment to the Black Family

4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence

7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”

9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community

10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.”

Critics argue Wright has used his tax-exempt church to exercise a radical political agenda.

A longtime friend of Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan, Wright has called for divestment from Israel and refers to Israel, as well as America, as a “racist” state.

“Theologically he believes that the true ‘Chosen People’ are the blacks,” said Caroline B. Glick, an editor for the Jerusalem Post. “Indeed he is a black supremacist.”

“He believes that black values are superior to middle-class American values,” she added, “and that blacks should isolate themselves from the wider American society.”

Wright currently is on “sabbatical” and unavailable for comment. Trinity did not immediately return phone calls seeking explanation regarding its revised webpage.